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Police Department Survey -
a BISD police car
The week of April 20 provided Beaumonters with the opportunity to comment during the first hearings of the Beaumont Independent School District (BISD) redistricting process. Redistricting for school district representative trustees is conducted following Census counts, such as the most recent performed in 2020.
March 28, the Beaumont ISD Board of Trustees met in closed session before opening up the public meeting that first allowed stakeholders to comment on the district’s proposed redistricting efforts. Subsequent meetings were held April 19 at the Beaumont United High School campus, and on April 20 at the Smith Middle School campus.
April 25, stakeholders will have another opportunity to participate in the redistricting process. Interested parties are invited to a presentation beginning at 6:30 p.m. in the West Brook Performing Arts Center auditorium, 8750 Phelan Blvd. BISD staff will offer a redistricting presentation prior to opening up the floor to comments from the public.
The week of April 20 also provided BISD police officers with the revelation that the district’s police department is also under review. According to a BISD police officer receiving an audit questionnaire, the “audit and evaluation” period was scheduled for upwards of 11 days, continuing as of April 21, under the direction of Craig Miller of Craig Miller Group LP for an approximate $34,000.
“This survey is designed to allow all team members within the Beaumont ISD Police Department to provide valuable input and insight into the current Culture, Climate and Morale within the Department,” the anonymous survey reads. The data garnered from the survey, the correspondence further details, “will be compiled and used towards achieving improvements in necessary areas and increasing our ability to recruit and retain high quality members for this department.”
The district police department initiative began circulating on the heels of an incident just days prior that resulted in a student being able to bring a gun into the West Brook High School campus despite a call to action at the beginning of the year that alleged a focus on school safety and cracking down on what items can be brought on campuses district-wide. BISD has reiterated its stance in recent days, as well, as to the policies that have been in place to deter actions such as the ability to bring a weapon on to school property.
A message “to remind parents that BISD made changes to the backpack policy in January 2022” was sent to families on April 14, again underscoring that “students must have a clear or mesh backpack (and) no longer allowed to carry other types of bags to school.
“Backpacks and bags that are not clear or mesh will be confiscated upon arrival and during the check-in process. Confiscated items must be picked up by a parent.”